Species diversity, abundance, biomass, size and trophic structure of fish on coral reefs in relation to shark abundance

2017 ◽  
Vol 565 ◽  
pp. 163-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
SC Barley ◽  
MG Meekan ◽  
JJ Meeuwig
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Trophic Structure

scholarly journals The macrozoobenthos under clam farm (the Black Sea, Sevastopol region)

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Boltacheva ◽  
M. V. Makarov ◽  
L. V. Bondarenko ◽  
M. A. Kovaleva
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Bivalve Mollusk ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Density And Biomass

During 2015–2106 the macrozoobenthos under the clam farm located in the area of Sevastopol was investigated. The aim of the study is to consider species composition, density and biomass of macrozoobenthos in the area of the clam farm. The samples were taken using standard benthic techniques. Relatively low species diversity was observed, with 56 species of macrozoobenthos identified. The density was 500–975 ind. per m², the biomass varied from 0.8 to 381.1 g·m-2. The community of the bivalve mollusk Lucinella divaricata (Linnaeus, 1758) was found. Trophic structure of the community with high quantity of detritus feeders dominated by small polychaetes was determined. The dominating, typical and rare species were identified. Comparison with the data obtained in 1957 in Evpatoriya – Sevastopol area at the same depths and sediments was made.

scholarly journals Trophic interactions of marine sponges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Charlotte Mortimer
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratios ◽  
Reef System

<p>Marine communities in the Anthropocene are changing rapidly with potentially severe consequences for ecosystem functioning. Recently, there has been increased interest in the ecological role of sponges, particularly on coral reefs, driven by evidence that sponges may be less affected by this period of environmental change than other benthic organisms. The Sampela reef system in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia, is an example of a reef that has shifted to sponge dominance following a decline in hard corals and an increase in sponge density. Previous research suggests that the Sampela reef system may support a greater abundance of spongivorous fishes relative to surrounding reefs, however, uncertainties remain regarding spongivore identity and predated sponges. In addition, little is known about how shifts towards sponge dominance affect the trophic structure of reefs. The primary aim of my thesis was to investigate sponge trophic interactions to gain insight into the way sponge-dominated reefs of the future might function. This information is essential to predict the broader functional consequences of increasing sponge dominance on reefs in the Anthropocene.   In my first data chapter, I measured the functional impact of spongivorous fishes by quantifying sponge biomass consumption on Wakatobi reefs. Video analysis identified 33 species from 10 families of reef fish grazing on Xestospongia spp., although 95% of bites were taken by only 11 species. Gut content analysis indicated that Pygoplites diacanthus and Pomacanthus imperator were obligate spongivores and Pomacanthus xanthometopon, Zanclus cornutus and Siganus punctatus regularly consumed sponges. In situ feeding observations revealed that sponges from the family Petrosiidae are preferred by P. diacanthus and Z. cornutus. Spongivores were estimated to consume 46.6 ± 18.3 g sponge 1000 m- 2 of reef day-1 and P. diacanthus had the greatest predatory impact on sponges. While estimates provided here are conservative and likely underestimate the true magnitude of spongivory on Indo-Pacific coral reefs, this chapter provides the first known estimate of reef wide sponge biomass consumption. Comparisons with published data estimating coral consumption by Chaetodontids in the Pacific suggests that biomass transferred through both pathways is similar in magnitude. Hence spongivory is an important, yet overlooked, trophic pathway on Indo-Pacific reefs.  In my second data chapter, I developed genetic methods to identify sponges from the stomach contents of spongivorous angelfishes sampled in my first chapter. A range of primers and associated predator-blocking primers targeting the 18S rDNA gene were designed and tested on extracts of sponge and spongivore DNA. Sequences were successfully amplified from 14 sponges spanning 6 orders of Porifera, with the majority of samples identified belonging to the order Haplosclerida. This study is the first to successfully sequence sponges from the gut contents of spongivorous fishes. Sequence data indicated that Pygoplites diacanthus consumed sponges with considerable chemical defences and exhibited significant dietary plasticity within the Porifera phylum, similar to observations of angelfishes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.  In my third data chapter, I used stable isotope analysis to investigate differences in consumer niche widths and trophic diversity on the sponge-dominated Sampela reef system in comparison to an adjacent, higher quality reef. I measured the stable isotope ratios of coral reef fish representing different functional feeding groups, prey items and basal carbon sources at both sites. I used isotope data to calculate the trophic position and isotopic niches of each species and performed interspecific and inter-site comparisons. The fish assemblage had a significantly lower mean trophic position at the sponge-dominated site and the majority of species had wider isotopic niches, in accordance with optimal foraging theory which supports expansion in niche widths when per capita prey is low. The fish assemblage sampled at the sponge-dominated site used a significantly lower range of resources, had lower trophic diversity and obtained more carbon from benthic production than fish from the higher quality reef site. Results indicate a simpler trophic structure at the sponge-dominated site characterised by fish with more similar diets. Whilst trophic niche expansion may facilitate population survival in the short term, it can be expected to lead to intensified competition for increasingly scarce resources.  In my final data chapter, I investigated niche partitioning and organic matter contributions to co-occurring temperate sponges. I sampled the stable isotope ratios of five abundant sponge species at 10 m and 30 m at two sites at opposing ends of Doubtful Sound, Fiordland. I also used an ROV to opportunistically sample sponges at depths >50 m and measured stable isotope ratios of picoplankton (</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Use of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) for Describing the Species Diversity of Two Coral Reefs in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 579
Author(s):  
Lilian A. Palomino-Alvarez ◽  
Xochitl G. Vital ◽  
Raúl E. Castillo-Cupul ◽  
Nancy Y. Suárez-Mozo ◽  
Diana Ugalde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Artificial Substrates ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
Reef Monitoring

Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been proposed as a standardized, passive, nondestructive sampling tool. This study assessed the ability of ARMS to capture the cryptic species diversity of two coral reefs by recording species richness and taxonomic representativeness using conventional taxonomy. The capacity of ARMS, as artificial substrates, to favor the establishment of nonindigenous species over native species was also evaluated. The use of ARMS allowed the detection of 370 species morphotypes from nine phyla, yielding 13 new records of geographic distribution expansion, one exotic species for the Gulf of México and the Caribbean Sea, and six newly described species. It was also possible to make spatial comparisons of species richness between both reefs. ARMS captured cryptic diversity exceptionally well, with the exception of echinoderms. Furthermore, these artificial structures did not hinder the colonization ability of native species; in fact, the colonization patterns on the structures themselves represented the spatial differences in the structure of benthic assemblages. This study represents the first effort to make a conventional taxonomic description of the cryptic fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula using ARMS. It is recommended to assess coral reef species diversity, but more taxonomists specialized in marine invertebrates are needed.

Biogeographic variation in coral species diversity on coral reefs in three regions of Indonesia

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan N. Edinger ◽  
Jurek Kolasa ◽  
Michael J. Risk
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species

eDNA metabarcoding illuminates species diversity and composition of three phyla (chordata, mollusca and echinodermata) across Indonesian coral reefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawis Madduppa ◽  
Ni Kadek Dita Cahyani ◽  
Aji Wahyu Anggoro ◽  
Beginer Subhan ◽  
Edwin Jefri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Coral Reefs
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